DIRECTING OPPORTUNITIES
2024 SCARF SEASON RESPONSE PROGRAMME
DIRECTING OPPORTUNITES
Response Programme
Our response programme has been offering early career directors the chance to create exciting original short plays since 2019. We are delighted to be offering further opportunities for directors to work on 3 new response productions between February and April 2024.
Who's it for? Emerging and early career directors aged 18 and over. We are especially interested to hear from people who identify as LGBTQ+, consider themselves part of the global majority, have experienced racism, are deaf, disabled or neurodiverse, or who are from working class backgrounds.
Is it paid?
Yes! Each director will receive a fee of £550.
How does it work?
1. We are recruiting 3 emerging directors to bring a 15-minute play to life in a professional production, matching them with actors from an open audition process.
2. Each play will respond to one of the main productions in our programme (listed below) and will have been selected from submissions to our Response Writing competition. (Find out more about the competition here
3. Directors will read a shortlist of maximum 3 scripts at 10am on the first day of rehearsals, with their actor and a mentor, choosing the final script. They will then have a week to stage the play, working with their cast in our rehearsal space.
4. Directors will have support from a mentor (Martin Hylton, Louie Ingham, Paula Penman or Ben Dickenson) to help them plan their rehearsal week, consider their vision for the play, find techniques for working with their cast, and to give them feedback on how it's going.
5. The play will then be performed immediately after the main production for 3 nights (Tuesday to Thursday) during the last week of its run (dates below).
How do I get involved?
To be considered for this opportunity we would like you to join our open auditions on 7th February 2024. This will involve a 2-hour workshop with our Just Write Response mentors, where you will be asked to direct a very short piece of script with some potential response production actors. Please email ben@alphabettitheatre.co.uk to express your interest, stating whether morning or afternoon is better for you on that date.
Please tell us why you’re interested in this opportunity, a little about your background, and include a short description of your experience to date – we’re not looking for you to have lots of credits, we just want to know a bit about you.
Please note, this is a fresh round of open auditions so do contact us again if you have been in touch about previous response opportunities. However, we will prioritise people we have not seen direct before when scheduling these auditions.
When is it? There are 3 separate Response Programme productions - please tell us which of these you are available for when you get in touch to express your interest in the open audition. You will need to be available 10am to 6pm on each rehearsal day, for at least 3 hours on tech day, and for your actors call at 6pm on performance days.
Production dates are:
1.. In response to Disco Pigs
Rehearsals will be Monday 26th February to Saturday 2nd March, with tech on Monday 4th March. Performances will take place after the main show on 5th, 6th and 7th March.
2. In response to Imaginary Fields
Rehearsals will be Monday 25th March to Saturday 30th March with tech on Monday 1st April. Performances will take place after the main show on 2nd, 3rd and 4th April.
3. In response to Hope is a 4-letter word
Rehearsals will be Monday 22nd April to Saturday 27th April, with tech on Monday 29th April. Performances will take place after the main show on 30th April, 1st May and 2nd May.
